Rob Burke

11/5/12

Philosophy Paper

There are several effective philosophies in education that can be beneficial for a Social

Studies teacher and student. By implementing techniques and strategies created by educators

such as Pedagogy, Vygotsky and other philosophers it broadens the teacher and students’

knowledge of the subject they are learning about. Social Studies is often taught through the

perspective of traditional thinking and excessive textbook work. It is important to focus on the

other aspects of Social studies as well such as the culture, sociology and psychology of social

studies. Several philosophies that I have personally viewed in previous classes have given me

insight on how to effectively teach a class while applying certain procedures to keep the students

on-task and focused on their work. They can do so by incorporating these educational strategies

into their studies, for example by learning about the Revolutionary War, they could use things

such as Placed-Based education by relating this war to their hometown during the late 1700’s.

Dewey’s progressive educational system is trying to prepare students for the future but at

the same time, trying to give these students an understanding and a respect of the past. In the

traditional education setting students are being set up for failure. Dewey states, “Theirs is to do

and learn, Learning here means acquisition of what already is incorporated in books and in the

heads of the elders. Moreover, that which is taught is thought of as essentially static.”(Dewey,

19) In a traditional school setting, teachers are afraid to accept that education is changing. They

teach the basics and do not use strategies that can give the student a way of learning that will be

entertaining towards the student or effective. The main problem here is that teachers who teach

their class using traditional techniques do not explore their horizons; they keep everything too

simple and too broad. For example, a history teacher in a traditional education system would

teach their students from a textbook, rather than a primary source of a newspaper article or

picture which has historical significance. This puts these students at a disadvantage because

when they are preparing for reality, they are lost and do not really have much to fall back on..

This strategy could be implemented into a social studies classroom by using unique techniques in

their lesson plans. Instead of using textbooks, teachers should use technology such as Smart

boards games and Power Points full of knowledge that students can use at any time to study that

will help them learn visually. The students should be engaged in the classroom by the lesson plan

this is why teachers can use educational games to better the student’s knowledge of the subject

sufficiently.

Cooperative learning allows students to not only work together, but assist his or her

fellow students with any problems that occur during a lesson. Students usually feel more

comfortable when they are split into groups and speak with their partners, rather than listen to the

teacher lecture for the entire class. There are several cooperative learning techiniques that are

effective towards the teacher and student, Slavin states, “PALS is a structured cooperative

learning method in which students work in pairs, taking turns as teacher and learner, using

specific metacognitive strategies.”(Slavin pg.234) Peer Assisted Learning Strategies allows the

students to see what each other’s strengths and weaknesses are. If a student is struggling in math

for instance the other student can provide assistance and give him or her help with solving a

problem. It is more effective if a student is cooperating and learning with another student rather

than a teacher because students can relate to each other much easier. Students have different

strengths and by using Peer Assisted Learning Strategies the students are paired up together by

lowest and highest student by strength of the subject. By applying PALS into a social studies

classroom it allows students to work together with any subjects a student is struggling with. For

example the judicial systems can be rather confusing for a high school student, by using PALS

students who are not doing well in this specific topic can receive help from a student who is

persevering on this topic by partnering together and sharing information about the subject with

things such as flashcards, videos and white boards.

Certain place-based strategies work sufficiently in certain areas such as Co- Seed which

is an organization that is made up of different schools district, community organizations,

environmental learning centers and a higher education institution, that help keep environment

connected with education. These seed teams help educators who want to incorporate place-based

education into his or her curriculum, “In Littleton, New Hampshire, for example, community

partners include the town planner’s office, the town engineer, local businesses, the historical

society, the solid waste manager, and a local group called Envisioning Littleton’s future”(Sobel

pg.44). This shows how major companies and high positions in this local town want to help

support these schools when it comes to place-based education. This makes it possible for the

community and students to work together in ensuring that the environment is intact. Rick

Nannicelli uses the Co-Seed principles at Great Brook Middle School where he is the current

principal he states, “My vision for the next five is to see education outside of the walls of the

school and to see the walls of the school transformed. I want to see kids do something important

for themselves, for the community, and the environment”. (Sobel pg.53). Co-Seed is an effective

organization that allows the students and community to support the environment. Placed-Based

Education strategies in my opinion are one of the most relevant aspects of historical education. It

allows students to relate specific historical events to their hometown. For example in my

hometown there was a visit from both George Washington and President Dwight D. Eisenhower

later on. As a teacher by instrumenting local history and relating it to American history will

create a positive learning experience. This placed-based foundation is used in this philosophy

because it displays everything a place-based classroom and society should exhibit. This

foundation has successfully incorporated place based strategies into their ways of learning,

teaching students about their hometown and how it has such a historical significance no matter

where the student may live, keeps the student engaged and more willing to learn. It is important

to learn about place based education because of the fact that it inhibits characteristics of learning

that are beneficial towards the student and teacher because they are able to learn about the

history of their hometown.

Critical Pedagogy is important to incorporate into the classroom because it does not

depict any certain race, culture, religion, etc. to being inferior to another. Culture is oppressive

because it is dominated by the groups that are considered to be the social norm. This is because

materials such as textbooks do not broaden the students mind in a sense of culture. Textbooks do

not discuss the diversity of culture; most textbooks strictly explain the cultures that have a

distinct hierarchy that is considered “better” than the cultures of the lower class. McLaren

believes that culture is a necessity while providing critical pedagogy in the classroom.

McLaren’s class was made up of many cultural diverse students that came from many ethnic

backgrounds. One student in particular came from Spanish Town, Jamaica which was a very

poor community that did not have the best living conditions. McLaren asked her many questions

about her family and if she liked Canada. It is important to have an understanding of each

student’s ethnic background because not only should the educator keep away from any

prejudices against any races or ethnicities, but the educator should also include many different

cultures into his or her lessons. It is important in a Social Studies classroom to create a safe

environment for the students. Social Studies may contradict certain cultures, religions and

ethnicities but by making sure there are not any racial distinctions about certain groups it will

create an environment in the classroom that will not disrupt the student or their peers. For

example if a student is of some sort of religious background and we are learning about that

specific religion, teachers must alter the way they teach toward the student and his or her peers.

Make sure there are not any racial distinctions and if the student feels comfortable let him or her

make any comments or concerns they have about this topic.